So farewell TSB and welcome, Frome Banking Hub! Sam Baker and her team are now installed in the library, bringing bank counter services for personal and business customers of most high street banks from Monday to Friday. There’s a daily rota of bank representatives in a private booth where you can discuss anything more complicated in complete privacy. It’s a great result of the collaboration between Prosper Frome and Frome Town Council, putting pressure on Cash Access UK to deliver the services we need, and we look forward to it having a permanent home in the town centre later this year. But while it’s in the library, why not stop by for a chat with one of our wonderful and knowledgeable volunteers at the Discover Frome information point to find out about everything that’s happening locally. If that isn’t reason enough to visit the library, did you know you can even borrow books there!
The Kindness Festival has once again worked its magic, with so many welcoming and beautiful events to remind us of the value of kindness. The word comes from the same root as kinship, and the festival shows what a special bond is created between those giving and receiving kindness, in all its forms. I started the week at the launch of Frome Grief Network in Rook Lane Chapel. Grief is something that we all experience at some point in our lives, and it’s something that can sneak up on you at unexpected times, triggered by a smell, sound, or just a phrase, that reminds us of our loss. It’s great that we now have so many local groups collaborating as part of Frome Grief Network to help provide support. A particular thank you to Melanie Dalton and Neil Croom from The Good Heart who’ve worked so hard to make this happen.
I was fortunate enough to attend a piano recital by Ezra Herring, one of Frome’s talented young musicians, who was performing in Christ Church to raise funds for The Sierra Leone Project, which supports deprived young people in that part of the world. A packed church and beautiful music, enhanced by the marvellous acoustics of that space. By the time you read this column, we’ll have celebrated another year of Frome Busks: such a great showcase for upcoming talent in the town.
I love the new mural on the Westway, and it’s been fascinating watching Charlotte and Gus as day by day it’s grown from a sketched outline to a complete work of art. Hopefully we’ll be able to secure funding for more such projects in the future, but this one really is the icing on the cake for the refreshed look of the Westway Shopping Centre.
We’re in the throes of planning for Great Big Green Week, a platform to celebrate our green spaces and highlight the action Frome is taking to tackle climate change. In 2025, Great Big Green Week takes place from 7th – 15th June. Since 2021, Frome’s GBGW programme has been packed full of events and activities for all ages. Last year’s programme included a river festival, green meet-up, walks, talks, workshops, clothes swaps, bike rides and more. If you have an event you’d like to make happen as part of GBGW, please submit it on http://bit.ly/gbgw25-submit-event or search for Great Big Green Week on https://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/
